Prisonhood Preview

Even prisoners can’t escape the demands of being social!

While most of today’s popular social games are based around the nonthreatening settings of farms and recreational villages, some might say that there’s no bigger sense of community than in a maximum security prison: if only because there’s not much else to do but get to know the other guys who are stuck in there with you!

Inspired by the hard-knock life of your average prisoner, Prisonhood is the debut title from Fei Hu Interactive, and promises to be a tongue-in-cheek social game about life behind bars. A blend of role-playing, social, and casual game elements, the cartoon graphics of Prisonhood look like something straight out of a Super Nintendo game, and give every indication to be just as engaging.

Set in a modern day correctional facility, Prisonhood features over thirty themed locations, like the prison wards, the cafeteria, and the infirmary, and over 90 in-game tasks to complete as you grow your crew of inmates, and ascend the ranks from “rookie to lifer.” Because who cares about parole or getting off for good behavior anyway? Players will get to choose from one of four unique avatars, and interact with more than two dozen other inmates and prison guards throughout the course of the game.

To pass the time (you are in here for life without an iPad, after all), you can partake in a number of fun prison-themed mini-games, from arm wrestling to shooting hoops in the yard. You’ll also keep track of your ongoing tasks and other objectives in a little black notebook, which include such important prison-y activities as extorting people or selling tabloid magazines. And to make the social experience complete, you’ll even be able to recruit your friends into your very own prison gang, and brawl with other players online in the Dog Pound.

Do you think you have what it takes to survive life in the Big House? You can find out when Prisonhood is released sometime next month for iOS, Android, and Facebook platforms. Maybe by then I’ll finish digging this tunnel hidden underneath my bed. Oops, I shouldn’t have said that.